Knockdown furniture



Aug. 8, 1944. G. LEW

KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE Filed Oct. 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. 670/145 4514 7 BY 4a Arraamsyg.

Patented Aug. 8, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I Y Y Y 2,555,541

. KNOCKDOWNI FURNITURE Gidale Lew, Brooklyn, N. Y. I Application October '27, 1942, Serial No. 463,455 7 7 Claims. (Cl. 312-143) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in knockdown furniture and more particularly it-pertains to furniture of the cabinet type, of which wardrobes, closets, lockers,and the like, are representative types,

-It is the primary object of the invention to provide a novel construction whereby an article of the aforementioned type may be transported in knockdown form and may be quickly and easily assembled without the exercising of special skill on the part of the party assembling same.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel structure which may be assembled, knocked down and reassembled, a number of times without injury to any of the parts.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a construction which, although it includes several elements or parts which are not permanently secured'to'gether, is in its set up form completely rigid and capable of resisting all strains and stresses to which it may be subjected in ordinary use.

- It is a still further object of theinvention to provide a structure which is of cheap and convenient manufacture and yet possessed of all of the attributes aforementioned.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated myinven-tion as embodied in a wardrobe, but it is to s understood that it may also be embodied in practically any article of cabinet type and therefore, the embodiment herein is to be considered illustrative rather than any limitation of the invention. r

In the "drawings,

Figure lisa view in front elevation illustrating a wardrobe constructed in accordance with the present invention,

'Figure 2 is a'top plan view thereof,

v Figure is a horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view partly broken away and on an enlarged scale taken.

substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and;

Figureb is a distended perspective View illustrating the several elements of the wardrobe in their relative positions but in a disassembled state and withthe fastening bolts omitted.

A wardrobe constructed in accordance with the present invention consists of two end wall sections l and I2, four corner posts 49, a panel M, which forms the rearwall of the wardrobe, two panels I5, which'forms the side walls thereof, and a door panel which forms the front wall.

. The end wall section II] forms the top wall of the wardrobe, the end wall'section I2 providing the bottom wall thereof, and thespecific construction of each will now be described,

Each of these end wall sections comprises, in its entirety, a frame which is possessed of a slight degree of adjustment and a panel which is supported within the frame.

The end wall section |'0 comprises two relatively long and narrow members l1 and I8 which form respectively, the front and rear walls of the frame and two relatively shorter members l9 and 20 0f the same width as the members I! and M, the members It! and 20 forming the side members of the frame.

The members l1, l8, l9 and 28 embrace a panel 2|, the side edges of which are received in grooves 22 with which said members are provided and which extend longitudinally of the members at points near their lower edges as illustrated in Figure 4.

Each of the side members. l9 and 20 and the the rear member |8 of the frame Ill is provided with a groove 23 in its lower edge as illustrated in dotted lines inFigure 2, while the under edge of the front member I! has a plain face.

The members l1, |8, H1 and 20 are secured together to form the frame by means of corner brackets 24 and in the assembly of the members their adjacent ends are spaced slightly with re-.

spect to each other for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The corner brackets are preferably of a conventional type being secured in position preferably at points above the grooves 22 by screws and they may also have projecting spurs 25 which engage the side members of the frame. 7 It is to be understood that the panel 2| is placed in position Within the members 5?, i3,

|9 and 2|) at a time prior to the fastening of the last cornerbracket 24 and that when all of said "corner brackets have been secured in position, '1, the panel 2| will be enclosed thereby.

By reason of the fact that the adjacent ends of the members l1, l8, l9 and 20 are spaced from each other, even with the panel 2| in, place, the frame has a degree of adjustment, the

purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The end section |2 whichforms the bottom wall of the wardrobe consists of two side members 3i! and 3|, a rear member 32, a front member 33 and a panel 34. p

These several members 38, 3|, 32 and 33, and

the panel 34, are with two exceptions of the same construction and are secured together to form the lower end wall section by corner brackets 35 in the same manner as described for the top wall section.

The first exception is that the grooves 36, which correspond to the grooves 22 of the top wall section and which receive the side edges of the panel 34, are located near the upper edges of said members instead of the lower'edg'es as in the top wall section.

The other exception is that the grooves 31 which correspond to the grooves 23 in the members of the top wall section, are formed in the upper edges of the members 30, 3| and 32.

There are four corner posts 40 and since they are of the same construction, the description of one will be sufiicient.

Each of the corner posts is square in cross-sectional form and each is provided on each of two adjacent faces with a groove 4|. These grooves 4| are formed in those faces of the corner posts 40 which form the inner faces of the posts when the wardrobe is in its set up position as illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings.

Adjacent each end, each corner post has a threaded bolt 45, which is anchored in the post and which projects from that corner thereof which forms the meeting edge of the inner faces of the post. These bolts project through openings in their respective corner brackets and have threaded ends 46 for the reception of nuts 41 which, when turned home, engage the outer faces of their respective corner brackets.

The wall forming panels [4 and I5 and the door panel l6 may be formed of any suitable rigid or semirigid material of which plywood, pressed board and similar materials are good examples.

In its knockdown form, the wardrobe consists of the two assembled end wall sections, the wall forming panels, the corner posts and-the door panel and the manner in which these several units are assembled to form the wardrobe will now be described.

The two rear corner posts 40 are loosely connected to the rear corners of the end wall sections in their respective spaces between the spaced adjacent ends of the frame members which form them with the side edges of the rear wall panel in the grooves 4| in the opposed faces of the rear corner posts 40 and the end edges thereof in the grooves 23 and 3'! respectively of the rear side members of the upper and lower end wall sections.

In this partially erected form the structure is positioned upon its rear wall, thus permitting of the insertion of the end edges of the side panels in their respective grooves 23 and 31 respectively of the upper and lower end wall sections and moving said panels therein into a position where their rear sideedges pass into their respective grooves 4| in the rear corner posts.

The assembly as thus far described is greatly facilitated by reason of the adjustable nature of the frame formed of the end wall sections which is always present so long as the nuts 4'! are not turned home upon their respective bolts 45.

After the several units have been thus far assembled. the several nuts 41 are turned home upon their respective bolts and when the nuts engage their respective corner brackets, the frame of the end wall sections I0 and I and the corner posts 48 are drawn togetherinto a rigid frame structure in which the several panels are rigidly and tightly retained solely by the tension of the frames.

To disassemble the set up cabinet, it is only necessary to remove the nuts 41 from the bolts 45 thus permitting again the adjustment in the fram of the end wall sections, which adjustment readily permits of the removal of the several panels and the end wall sections from the corner posts.

The door panel is preferably mounted upon the righthand forward corner post 4ll'by means of hinges 48 and upon its free edge it is preferably provided with a batten strip 49 and with an operating knob 50.

The structure provides an article of furniture of the cabinet type which is capable of setting up and knocking down at will in a, simple and easy manner and without damage to any of the parts thereof.

Furthermore, the structure is very economical since it can be madefrom various types of materials and requires no fastenings other than the corner brackets thus eliminating screws, nails and other types of fasteners generally employed.

While in the present embodiment, I have illustrated the invention in its preferred form, it is to be understood that it is not to'be limited'to the specific construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and that'it may be embodied in such other forms as rightfully fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and what I desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A cabinet of the class described comprisingin combination, two like complementary end wall sections each comprising a frame consisting of a plurality of side members and means for securing said side members together with their adjacent ends in spaced relation to each other, a panel, said side members comprising means for retaining the panel in position within the frame, means for securing the end wall sections together in spaced relation, said means comprising corner posts received in the spaces between the spaced ends of the side members of the end wall sec-' tions, means cooperating with the means for securing together the side members of the end wall sections for securing the corner posts and the" end wall sections together to provide a rigid frame structure, and side wall-forming panels carried by said rigid frame structure.

. 2. A cabinet of the class described comprising in combination two like complementary end wall sections each comprising an adjustable frame consisting of a plurality of side members and means for securing said side members together with their adjacent ends in spaced relation to each other, a panel, said side members comprising means for retaining the panel in position within the frame, means for securing the two end wall sections together in spacedrelation, said means comprising corner posts received in the spaces between the spaced ends of the side mem-. bers of the end wall sections, means carried by. the corner posts and cooperating with the means for securing together the side members of the end wall sections for securing the corner posts and the end wall sections together to provide a rigid frame structure, and side wall-forming panels carried between the end wall sections and the corner posts. 7

3. A cabinet of the classdescribed comprising. incombination, two like complementaryiend wall.

sections each comprising a frame consisting of a plurality of side members each of which has a groove extending, longitudinally of its inner face, and means for securing said side members together, a panel, the edges of the panel being positioned in the grooves in the inner faces of said side members and with the adjacent ends of the side members spaced from each other, means for securing said end wall sections together in spaced relation to provide a rigid frame structure, said means including corner posts positioned in the spaces between the spaced adjacent ends, of the side members of the end wall sections, means carried by the corner posts for cooperation with the aforementioned means for securing together the side members of the end wall sections for securing the corner posts in position in engagement with the ends of the side members of the end wall sections to provide a rigid frame structure, wall panels disposed between the corner posts and the end wall sections, and a closing door hingedly mounted upon one of the corner posts.

4. A cabinet of the class described comprising in combination, two like complementary end wall sections each comprising a frame consisting of a plurality of side members each of which has a groove extending longitudinally of its inner face, and means for securing said side members together, a panel, the edges of the panel being positioned in the grooves in the inner faces of said side members and with the adjacent ends of the side members spaced from each other, means for securing the end wall sections together in spaced relation to provide a rigid frame structure, said means including corner posts positioned in the spaces between the spaced adjacent ends of the side members of the end wall sections, panel-receiving grooves extending longitudinally of the corner posts upon the inner faces thereof, means carried by the corner posts for cooperation with the aforementioned means for securing together the side members of the end wall sections for securing the corner posts in position in engagement with the ends of the side members of the end wall sections to provide a rigid frame structure, wall panels carried by the frame structure with their side edges positioned in the grooves of the corner posts, and a closing door hingedh mounted upon one of the corner posts.

5. A. knockdown cabinet comprising corner posts, separate side and rear panels, there being a side panel engaging two of said posts between the same at each side of the cabinet and the rear panel engaging two of said posts between the same at the rear of the cabinet, upper and lower end sections, each of said end sections comprising a frame consisting of side members, means connecting the side members for adjustment with respect to each other, and a separate panel engaged with the side members of the frame, the side members of the upper and lower end sections engaging the upper and lower ends respectively of the side and rear panels, securing means cooperating with said first means of each end section and the corner posts to retain all of the parts assembled to form a cabinet structure having an opening at the front, and a door panel hingedly connected with one of the corner posts at the front of the cabinet to close said opening.

6. .A knockdown cabinet as set forth in claim 5, wherein said securing means is releasable to enable the parts of said structure to be disassembled.

'7. In a knockdown cabinet, corner posts, upper and lower end sections, each of said end sections comprising a frame and a panel, said frame consisting of side members having alined grooves respectively on the insides thereof, and means connecting said side members for adjustmentv with respect to each other, the edges of said panel disposed in said grooves respectively, and securing means cooperating with said posts and said first means to retain the posts, side members and panels in place, said securing means being releasable to enable the separation of the parts.

GIDALE LEW. 

